Smoke, signal, or illuminating flare



July 20, 1948.

C. D. SCHERMULY ET AL SMOKE, SIGNAL 6R ILLUMINATING FLARE Filed June 13,1944 3 II I //v VE/VTORS.

By Mel) af/omeys Patented July 20, 1948 rear orri ce SMOKE, RniLUMmAT'INa FLARE ConradDavid' Schermuly, Alfred James sauermuIy, andCharles Schernflily, Parkgate, New

digate, England Application: June- 13, 1944, Serial No. 540,692 In GreatBritain, November 12,1943

This invention relates to smoke, signal or illuminating flares for useat sea and hereinafter referred to as flare devices, and has for itsprincipal object to provide an improved flare device which is simple inconstruction and operation.

According to the present invention a flare device comprises a casing, abuoyancy chamber secured to said casing, a rocket, a head secured tosaid rocket and containing a flare candle and candle igniting means,said rocket and head being carried in said casing, and means associatedwith said casing for igniting said rocket.

The flare candle may be attached to a parachute, the candle andparachute being packed in a case secured to the head of the rocket.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawing which shows, mainly in section a flare device according to thisinvention, but the invention is not limited to the specific embodimentshown.

A metal casing l has at one end a safety cap I screwed on to ascrewthreaded extension 4. The casing I5 contains a plug 6, for exampleof wood or plastics, provided with central recesses 5 and 9 and anannular recess 1. The recess 5 contains a friction igniter 3 adapted tobe actuated by pulling a wire '2, and also a screw-up paper 5a whichholds in place a charge of combustible powder 5b which communicates witha delay fuze 8 wrapped round the plug 6 within the annular recess l,which fuze communicates at its other end with the recess 9 containing aburster 9a. Secured to the face of the plug 6 and covering the recess 9is a disc of paper l0. Positioned over the paper disc Ill is a woodendisc I! having a central aperture H.

The casing l5 contains a rocket I1 carrying a head l9 containing a flarecandle and an attached parachute 30. The rocket I! has a sliding tailportion 14 of the kind described in the co-pending United States PatentNo. 2,409,904, issued October 22, 1946. The tail portion [4 is capableof sliding rearwardly on the rocket Il until the band l6 abuts against aflange l3 at the rear end of the rocket. The casing I5 is closed by awooden plug 22 and the rocket I1 is held in position in the casing I5 bymeans of a wooden disc 2!} and a millboard or like spacer tube 2|. Abuoyancy chamber I8 is secured around the casing [5, for example bysoldering or welding.

In operation, the safety cap I is unscrewed and the igniter 3 isoperated by pulling the wire 2. The flare device is then thrown into thesea where 2 Claims. (01. 102-4)- owing to the" buoyancy chamber it itwill float the correct way up the plug 22 above the water level". Afterthe ignitr 3 has been actuated, the power 5b in the recess 5 burns andignites the delay fuze 8. The delay fuze allows time for the device tobe thrown into the sea and for the device to attain a vertical positionbefore the rocket is fired.

When the delay fuze 8 has burnt through, it ignites the burster charge9a in the recess 9 and this fires the rocket IT. The rocket I1 ejectsthe disc 20, spacer 2| and plug 22 and propels itself into the air. Asthe rocket starts its flight, the sliding tail l4 remains stationaryuntil the band it engages the flange l3, after which the tail l4 remainsin its correct position for steadying the flight of the rocket l1. Whenthe rocket has nearly reached the top of its trajectory, it ignites aburster charge 18a in the head 19 and this charge ignites the flarecandle 25 and ejects it from the head I 9, thus allowing the parachute36 attached to the candle to open and support the candle.

From the above description it will be seen that the flare device iseminently suitable for use at sea; for example it has been found thatrafts or the like have been passed at sea by rescue craft, due to thefact that the rafts are low in the water and, even when provided withhandheld flares, are still not easily discernible in rough seas. With aflare device according to the present invention, however, those on theraft merely have to remove the cap I, pull the wire 2: and throw thecomplete flare device into the sea..

The flare candle ejected from the rocket head is: will burn for aconsiderable time at an appreci able height, thus giving the approximateposi-- tion of the raft, and being visible for a consider-- abledistance. Should the raft be upset, the flare device will not be lostbecause the buoyancy chamber will keep it afloat until it can berecovered.

The flare candle may be a smoke candle, illu minating candle or signalstar or stars.

What we claim is:

1. A flare device comprising a casing, a rocket Within said casing, ahead secured to said rocket, a removable closure at the end of thecasing adjacent said head, an apertured disc in said casing below saidrocket, a burster charge in said casing below said disc, means forigniting said burster charge whereby said burster charge explodes andcauses said rocket to force off said removable closure and at the sametime ignites said rocket, and a buoyancy chamber secured to said casing,said buoyancy chamber being constructed and arranged to float saidcasing in water with said removable closure upwardly directed.

2. A flare device comprising a casing, a rocket within said casing, ahead secured to said rocket, a removable closure at the end of thecasing adjacent said head, an apertured disc in said casing below saidrocket, a burster charge in said casing below said disc, a delay fuzehaving one end in contact with said burster charge, means for ignitingthe other end of said delay fuze, said burster charge being adapted,upon ignition, to explode and cause said rocket to force off saidremovable closure and at the same time ignite said rocket, and abuoyancy chamber secured to said casing, said buoyancy chamber beingconstructed and arranged to float said casing in water with saidremovable closure upwardly directed.

CONRAD DAVID SCHERMULY. ALFRED JAMES SCHIERMULY. CHARLES SCHERMULY.

REFERENCES crrEn The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 24,468 Lanergan June 21, 1859376,375 Fletcher Jan. 10, 1888 1,299,217 Pain Apr. 1, 1919 1,567,267Hitt Dec. 29, 1925 2,035,185 Nichols Mar. 24, 1936 2,344,957 AnzaloneMar. 28, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 465,867 France Feb.17, 1914 474,163 Germany May 6, 1929 502,678 France Feb. 26, 1920611,843 Germany Apr. 6, 1935

